"I've been more of a process actor than ever before. I said, 'f--- it, go for the experience of it, Matthew. The results were better than ever by just putting my head down and sticking to the process," he continued.

McConaughey said the Oscar win was the end of a long journey. "The movie, no one wanted to make it for 20 years. It got turned down 137 times," he said.

Gazing down at his Oscar, McConaughey said it felt wonderful. "I got a prize for excellence for something that's not my job. It's not my hobby, it's not my fad, it's my career."

He laughed when a reporter asked about a new term that's been floated since Sundance -- "McConaugh-ssance."

"I don't know what that is," he said, "but it sounds good."

In a conversation with McConaughey at the Indie Spirit Awards, the actor told THR that the Dallas Buyers Club character RonWoodroof "would be doing a little dancing and partying" to celebrate the McConaughey's win. Watch below for the full interview.

McConaughey, who also is earning critical acclaim for his role in HBO's True Detective, made it clear he won't be back for a second season of the show. "It was a finite."